Fires each year result in great loss of life and property with an estimated annual cost to society of over $100 billion. (Gann R., Flame Retardants (Overview), Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Terminology. Vol. 10. 4th ed. 1993:930.) Fire retardants are chemicals that can be applied to a combustible object to reduce flammability or retard the spread of fire over its surface. They are commonly applied to textiles and building materials where fire resistance is particularly desirable. Many fire retardants are synthetic phosphorus-containing compounds. However questions concerning the health and safety of some of these chemicals have caused several principal suppliers to scale back their operations or completely exit the fire retardant market. (Calamari et al., Flame Retardants for Textiles, Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Terminology. Vol. 10. 4th ed. 1993:1016.) Therefore, there remains a need for improved non-toxic fire retardant compositions that can be applied to textiles, building materials, and other objects and materials where fire resistance is desirable.
The African Oil Palm (elaeis guineensis) is a member of the palm family native to west Africa. It produces the world's largest fruit crop, having bundles of fruit weighing in excess of 40 kg. The fruit is used commercially for the production of palm oil. However, the fruit has not previously been known to provide an extract having fire retardant characteristics. It has been surprisingly discovered that an extract derived from the fruit of the African Oil Palm imparts exceptional fire resistance to materials treated with compositions containing the extract.